PCG:US have reprinted the preview of Hinterland I wrote for PCG:UK. I start like this…

As excited as everyone is by Diablo III, you find yourself wondering: what else could an RPG be? Is collecting loot, side-questing, selling to shopkeepers (and repeat) the only way to do it? Hinterland is built off the same fantasy ingredients we’re used to seeing in RPGs, and you can spot the inspiration – Diablo, Rogue-games, Dwarf Fortress, city-builders – but we’ve never seen the ideas mashed up like this. “In making it, we kind of had this ‘why didn’t someone make this before?’ feeling,” says Jeff Fiske, co-designer.

I really want this to be good. Tilted Mill has made great strides in the past year to go indie and really support their games (notably Children of the Nile and SimCity Societies) with huge patches (4 years after release for CotN!). Hinterland looks like it could be a lot of fun. Go TM!

I’m keeping my eye on this, but the whole “we’re not giving you any structure, you have to make your own sandbox fun” vibe has me pretty worried. I like story-based RPG’s a la Gothic and Baldur’s Gate. I can’t say the same for sandbox RPG’s a la Morrowind and Oblivion.

You just put David Bowie’s “Red Sails” in my head – ‘The hinterland, the hinterland, we’re gonna sail to the hinterland!” Excellent.

Anyway, this does sound intriguing. I’m always looking for games that give you a real sense of familiarity with a place or its people. So I like the idea of managing a small town, recruiting a farmer, then going adventuring with him/her.